Cubs, Blue Jays to Play in 2027 Little League Classic
The Cubs’ long-awaited turn to host the All-Star Game is very much in danger of being canceled by looming labor issues, and the same could be true for their selection to play in next year’s Little League Classic. You may recall that the Cubs played in this game back in 2019, a game highlighted by a stadium full of youth ballplayers imitating Craig Kimbrel‘s signature pre-pitch stance.
An entire stadium of little leaguers once impersonated Craig Kimbrel’s iconic lean 😆
The #LittleLeagueClassic returns Sunday! Braves vs. Brewers at 7:10 pm ET on ESPN
(MLB x @NewYorkLife) pic.twitter.com/k8UEPvZLz5
— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2026
Speaking of which, the former Cubs great recently picked up his first save since July of 2024 as the Royals picked up their seventh straight win this past Saturday. The Royals are Kimbrel’s third team this season after being designated for assignment by both the Mets and Rays. He’s now played for 12 different teams over a 17-year career, and that does not include a brief stint in the minors with the Rangers last season.
While a big part of me thinks he should have hung it up a couple years ago, I have to admire his determination to keep grinding it out. That love of the game is very much in keeping with the Little League spirit, though the way the Little League World Series has been bastardized by ESPN and other corporate interests is more in keeping with baseball’s labor issues.
Fun times.
The Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago Cubs will headline the 2027 “MLB Little League Classic presented by New York Life,” in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Major League Baseball announced tonight. The announcement was made by Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred Jr., who joined the ESPN broadcast during tonight’s 2026 Little League Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers. The national game, which will be held on Thursday, August 19, 2027, will air exclusively on ESPN and in Canada on Sportsnet at 7:10 p.m. (ET)/6:10 p.m. (CT). The special event, which will mark the 10th year of the annual showcase, hosted in connection with the Little League Baseball World Series presented by T-Mobile, will also be available on the ESPN App.
In keeping with the tradition of this annual event, Major Leaguers from both the Blue Jays and the Cubs will attend Little League World Series games earlier in the day on August 19th, demonstrating their commitment to helping grow the game at the youth level and engage with young fans. Later that evening, Little League World Series players and their families will fill Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field for the Little League Classic game. It will mark the first time that the contest will be played on Thursday, headlining ESPN’s slate of baseball that day, which will spotlight Little League all the way up to the Majors. The Blue Jays will be the home team in the matchup.
Major League Baseball launched the Little League Classic in August 2017, first featuring the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals. The ensuing events included the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018; the Pirates and Chicago Cubs in 2019; the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Angels in 2021; the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox in 2022; the Washington Nationals and Phillies in 2023; the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers in 2024; the Mets and Seattle Mariners in 2025; and the Braves and Brewers in 2026.
A bucket-list destination for fans of every age, the Little League Baseball® World Series is held each August in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the organization that is trusted by millions of parents around the world. Every year, 20 teams of 10- to 12-year-old baseball players from around the globe come together to compete for the championship banner, while forging lifelong memories. More than 70 players have appeared in the Little League Baseball World Series and played in the Majors, including 10 who have appeared in a regular season game in 2026: Cody Bellinger (NYY, 2007); Brett Callahan (DET, 2013); Michael Conforto (CHC, 2004); Angel Genao (CLE, 2017); Randal Grichuk (CWS, 2003-04); Scott Kingery (CHC, 2006); Yohel Pozo (BAL, 2009); Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS, 2012); Jeferson Quero (MIL, 2015); and Matt Wilkinson (SF, 2015). Conforto, who has appeared in 87 games for the Cubs this season, is one of three players to appear in the Little League Baseball World Series, Men’s College World Series and Major League Baseball’s World Series, joining Jason Varitek and Ed Vosberg.
